SARVER — Brian Steinman was on the way to his first Sprint feature win of the year to go along with $2,250 in prize money on Friday at Lernerville Speedway.

But an untimely caution on the final lap brought his car to a halt and gave points leader Carl Bowser his second victory of the season.

Bowser, a Sarver native, claimed the checkered flag after Steinman led the first 24 laps. Steinman controled the race from the start, but his No. 24 car ran out of gas during the caution and he fell to a ninth-place finish.

Bowser, who was right behind Steinman for the entirety of the feature, was happy to take advantage and break a tie with the absent Brain Ellenberger, of Butler, atop the Sprint season standings.

Bowser had trouble accelerating during restarts in the early stages of the race, but his car came through when it mattered most.

With Steinman out of the picture, a two-lap shootout unfolded and Bowser beat Kittanning's Rod George on the restart and didn't relinquish the lead.

Sarver natives nearly earned back-to-back feature wins after a solid showing from John Garvin Jr. in the Late Models.

Garvin led the initial 16 laps of the race and appeared to be the car to beat. However, his ride suffered a fuel pressure problem shortly after the midpoint of the race. The issue prevented Garvin from picking up straight-away speed, and eventaully, the checkered flag.

Waterford's Dave Hess Jr. was the beneficiary, but Garvin didn't let him have it without a fight.

Hess took his first lead of the race on Lap 17, but Garvin managed to stay within striking distance and reclaimed an edge on Hess following a restart on Lap 22.

The lead was shortlived, though.

With two laps remaining, Hess flew past Garvin and captured his fifth Late Models win at Lernerville this season. Rick Briggs finished in second, while Garvin settled for third.

“I'm guessing he (Garvin) was dying out a little bit. We've had great luck all year,” said Hess following the win before commenting on the importance of avoiding the early wrecks in the race. “We were able to get around them, get out ahead, and made something happen out of it.”

Slippery Rock's Dave Murdick finished 14th in the Late Models race, but left everyone in the dust in the Modified feature.

Murdick, a two-time track champion, went wire-to-wire for his third Modified win of the year and the 22nd of his career at Lernerville.

By the 12th lap, Murdick built a four-second gap on the competition and breezed to Victory Lane as it was the only feature of the night to avoid the caution flag.

“I was just going,” said Murick of the big lead. “I told the crew we would do whatever they thought. ... I guess they made the right decision, because it worked.”

Joe Kelley, of Mount Pleasant, also controlled the Sportsman Stock feature from start to finish, but the conclusion took much longer to reach.

The race was delayed by eight cautions before the 12th lap was completed, however, Kelley never allowed the competition to take advantage of the numerous restarts.

“I think it was hard to pass when the track has a lot of bite,” said Kelley. “It was a little choppy.”

Kelley managed to hold off Pat Hanley, of Monroeville, who claimed second place. Creighton's Paul Schreckengost found a way to overcome early adversity and navigate his way through the field.

After being involved in two cautions in the first three laps, Schreckengost was the third car to cross the finish line. His cause was aided by multiple cars leaving the track. The race began with 23 cars, but only 11 remained after 11 laps and seven cautions.

Stock points leader Mike Miller and second-place Corey McPherson were among those unable to avoid the early and often wreckage.

Notes: Kelley's victory was the second of his season and 43rd of his career.A total of 73 cars were in the pits at Lernerville. ... Next Friday's races will celebrate ARCH Fan Club Night.